This work examines some of the parodies produced during the 1830 taxonomic debate and looks at Balzac’s tale, the « Guide-âne des animaux voulant parvenir aux honneurs ». The text can be seen as a demystification of the debate, in the same vein as the negative critiques of the same period. The clownish aspects of the text however reinforce the division between science and fiction, which helps keep the learned mystification going. It is also nurtured in a subtler manner, for the author lashes out at a number of corrupt scientists, which can lead the reader to think that some kind of truth has been flouted. However, the tale’s rhetoric, which deploys itself against the background f positivism’s insufficiencies, shows that Balzac was very much aware of the logical faults in the debate and was ready to reveal – to a few sceptic souls – how grotesque a science in lack of a referee could be. It is on these grounds that “Guide-âne” raises the issue of cultural blind spots and problematizes the relationship between learned stance, or posture, and imposture.